Warning: This is Alternative Universe-story. If you can't stand to see Kevin/Scotty/Others in situations that are Out Of Character, stay away and don't whine to me about it.

By Marea67About: Mainly Kevin/ScottyRate: Depending on the chapter - This one: GDisclaimer: Brothers & Sister belongs to ABC, but thanks to this AU Kevin/Scotty can at least kiss.Summary: walkersfics wondered: "How come even in AUs Kevin is always the one saving Scotty?" And though she has her own great storyline for that, it sure made me think: “What if….?”

*****

Scotty is usually not one to have a harsh opinion of people, because he’s raised with the idea that each individual has their flaws, but also their talents. However, after hardly 15 minutes with Kevin’s other 3 siblings, he’s close to wanting to kill one of them, preferably Tommy.

Without the least bit of politeness Tommy tells Kevin that if he comes here for the inheritance he can forget it, because his father has kicked Kevin out of his will. Tommy is sure of that. Sarah meanwhile makes it very clear that she wants Kevin to stay away from her children, because she doesn’t want them to meet an ex-convict. Neither of them gives Kevin a chance to say something.

Kitty meanwhile completely ignores Kevin and Scotty and loudly discusses something with Justin, or rather she’s loudly talking to her younger brother who obviously tries to ignore her. Her shrill voice makes Scotty cringe. And in that sudden cacophony of noise Nora walks in.

She nervously announces that Kevin and Scotty will need to put their belongings in Kevin’s room, because dinner is almost ready and she want everyone to be there on time.“Mom. We can’t.” Kevin backs away. Nora frowns.“Don’t be silly. Of course you will.” She says.

“Mom…” Kevin starts, he wants to get out of this house as soon as possible.“Kevin, the funeral is early tomorrow, it would be pointless to drive back and forth for no reason, when you can stay here.” Nora explains, her voice filled with the annoyed patience of a fed up mother who tells her kid for millionth time to clean up his toys.

“Of course, we can stay tonight.” Scotty puts enough irritation in his voice to make it known that he does not really want to stay. “Let’s go Kevin. Our bags are in the car…” He leaves the others standing in the hall and Kevin follows him outside. Kevin takes Scotty’s shoulder and, forgetting his position, he angrily says:

“What is wrong with you? What are you doing to me? You said that we could get out of here whenever I wanted. You promised! And now you expect me to spend the fucking night here?” Kevin is furious and Scotty takes a step back.“I’m not going to let those creeps win!” Scotty replies equally angry.

“Would you please stop acting as if you are my boyfriend? You’re my boss and the fact that I replied to your loneliness, in ways that I perhaps shouldn’t have, doesn’t give you the right to dictate my life for me. I may work for you, but you don’t own me and you have no right to force me into anything!” Kevin’s voice is soft, but insistent.

Scotty can see Kevin’s pain and confusion and suddenly he realizes that he’s reacting to his own frustration and that he’s not doing this in Kevin’s best interest. He sighs.“I’m sorry. You’re right… Of course…. I don’t own you and, you’re right, we’re not boyfriends. … We’ll go back in and I’ll apologize for speaking up too soon.”

He watches how Kevin nervously paces up and down, how he brushes away his hair and rubs his face and how he breathes more slowly now, now that the tension slips away.“I’m sorry too.” Kevin then says. “This family can just make me so mad, so furious…”“I noticed. I don't like them much either..... You’re brother Tommy…..” Scotty shakes his head

“Yeah, I know, he's awful.”“What an obnoxious bag of shit.” Scotty’s words are so heartfelt that Kevin looks up and starts to laugh. “Was he always like that?”“No, he’s polite and nice now, because you're a stranger...” Kevin still laughs, but his smile fades.

“Come on. Let’s go in and say that we won’t stay tonight.” Scotty offers, but Kevin shakes his head.“No, if it’s alright with you I want to stay. You’re right, I’m tired of letting them win.”“Good. Whatever you want…. But it is your choice.” Scotty agrees.

“Be with me?” Kevin asks, very quietly.“I’m unconditionally on your side.” Scotty replies and he takes his over-night bag and Kevin’s out of the trunk. “Let’s go inside and rock their worlds.”“I like the sound of that.” Kevin grins.

*****

Kevin leads Scotty to a depressing boy’s room, with faded posters on the wall. First thing Scotty does is open the windows wide to let some fresh air in.“I’m sorry.” He hears Nora say. “If I had known earlier that you two would stay here… I would have cleaned the room… ”

Kevin’s room has a small en-suite bathroom, which surprises Scotty until Kevin explains.“This used to be Tommy’s room before I got it. My dad felt Tommy deserved privacy when he had his girlfriends over… And he had quite some girlfriends. He wasn’t exactly the loyal boyfriend.”

“Privacy?” Scotty asks, pointing at the sawed out hole where the lock used to be.“Dad took out the lock when I got the room. No privacy for me. If I wanted to do my un-Godly gay things, I’d have to do them someplace else, not under his roof… As if!”“Charming.” Scotty mumbles.

“It’s also the reason why he took out the other lock of the door. So, he or anyone else in my family could be able to enter my room whenever they wanted, whether I was here or not… I regularly found that my mail had been read, things on my desk put in another place. Even, once, my underwear-box had been checked out…

I couldn’t keep anything secret for anyone. I tried to keep a diary, but Sarah found it and had the others read it. I threw it away, never put another word on paper again… When I had finally gathered all my courage and bought a gay-magazine, it vanished and I accidentally found it back in the trashcan… Someone had thrown it away.

It was always like that. My room might as well have had a revolving door. Everybody just always barged in whenever they wanted…. It was awful to never have place where you can safely retreat, not even the bathroom. I felt completely limited in leading my life as a man, let alone as a gay man.”

Kevin looks around and sits down on his bed, when an awful thought comes to him.“I actually felt safer in prison than I did here.” He whispers. Scotty sits down next to him and he feels powerless to help Kevin. Kevin needs to work through these emotions on his own. “I guess I never realized how big the impact of this house was on my life.”

Scotty gently caresses his back and he waits for Kevin to compose himself again.“Let’s go down-stairs.” Kevin eventually says stiffly. Everything in his movements prove how much he hates to do it and Scotty admires Kevin for going through with it anyway.“Remember. I’m on your side.” He reminds Kevin sweetly, before they go down the stairs.

*****

The table is nicely set. Scotty meets Sarah’s husband Luc, who used to be a male model, but who obviously hasn’t worked in quite a while, judging from the beer-belly. Tommy’s wife Julia is nice, but a grey little mouse, who barely speaks. Kitty doesn’t have a partner, which somehow doesn’t surprise Scotty at all. He just doesn’t like her.

He meets Sarah’s children and, to be honest, he’s glad that they aren’t allowed near Kevin, because the two girls, Paige and Sophie, are a pair of whining, bratty little kids. Scotty is sincerely beginning to dread the dinner and the rest of the evening. Why had he not listened to Kevin? After all, maybe he did know his family better than Scotty did.

And just when he sees his own despair reflected on Kevin’s face, the doorbell rings and a young woman enters. She’s like a breath of fresh air. Taylor greets Kevin and Scotty with kindness. Justin and Taylor’s daughter Elizabeth is a lovely girl who has her mother’s warm smile and her father’s mischievous smile.

Then Taylor holds out their baby to Kevin, who clumsily takes over the boy.“I didn’t even know Justin had children. What’s his name?”“Kevin. His name is Kevin.” Taylor smiles. “Justin wanted him named after you.”“Why?” Kevin asks surprised, though it also feels a bid morbid.

“Because he loved you and he missed you. You were the only person in this house that he had good, but unfortunately distant memories of. Justin was only eight when you left the house to never come back…. And I agreed, because I never knew the name of my own father, however when William found out that I was expecting a son, he was so obnoxiously confident that his first-born grandson would get his name…”

Her sarcastic smile makes it clear to Scotty that her impression of William wasn’t too good either. He sighs, as he focuses his attention back on Kevin, who looks absolutely adorable with a baby on his arm…. And Scotty wonders if it isn’t weird to think in terms like that about another man.

“Dinner.” Nora calls out and everyone finds their place at the table. Scotty sits down next to Kevin, opposite of Taylor and Justin and he’s glad because he likes them both. From the corner of his eyes he sees Tommy take away the salt and Kevin rolls his eyes and shakes his head as if something unbelievable just happened.

He also catches Justin’s frown and he wonders what is going on. The answer comes fast enough when the food is passed around.“I thought I saw the salt here somewhere.” Tyler says looking around. Justin makes an annoyed sound and Kevin smiles.

“He does. Can’t get through a sentence without ten stops along the way.” Tommy clearly enjoys humiliating Kevin and Scotty feels his anger flare up again, as he understands now, that putting the salt out of Kevin’s reach, would force Kevin to ask for it. He wants to angrily defend Kevin, but Kevin beats him to a reply.

“I don’t stutter. Not anymore. But I did years ago. Tommy would always put the salt out of my reach so I had to stutter and ask for it.” Kevin replies, without dropping a letter. “It was always the best joke the start dinner with. Tommy laughed over my stuttering for 5 years and even now it puts him in stitches…

… Which obviously says more about his low level of intelligence, than it says about my no longer existing stutter-problem. You see, I overcame my problem… He didn’t.” Kevin finishes dryly. Justin laughs out loud and Kevin joins him and, finally having found support in each other, they high-five over the table.

I sincerely thought it over a few times before adding it. Unfortunately, this part of Tommy is based on someone I actually know.

When we were kids, he used to laugh at his brother (my friend) because he stuttered, always upsetting him on purpose, knowing that his brother wouldn't be able to verbally defend himself, which would upset him even more and make him stutter even more.

Of course, my friend's only other defense was to fight. And then my friend would get punished and his brother would have the last laugh. I've had quite some arguments with him when we were kids.

I still don't really like the guy, even though it happened over 30-35 years ago. :) His brother (such a sweet guy!) is far more forgiving than I am, I'm afraid. :)